Philippine provincial governor’s killing spotlights deadly rivalry among political elite

Such attacks are ‘nothing new’, analysts say, citing 2009 massacre of 58 victims ahead of local elections, Marcos Snr’s rise to power on back of political violence

Presence of ‘fat political dynasties’ a major risk factor for murder as power is concentrated among a few influential families at top levels of government, study notes

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Philippine Governor Roel Degamo was shot dead on March 4. Photo: Facebook/Governor Roel Ragay Degamo

Published: 9:30am, 30 Mar 2023Updated: 10:16am, 30 Mar 2023

The recent murder of a Philippine governor has shone the spotlight on assassinations as the “normal” way for “fat political dynasties” to deal with opponents, throwing a wrench into efforts by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to combat violence in the country, analysts have said.

On March 4, four gunmen entered the home of governor Roel Degamo and opened fire, killing Degamo and eight others. Sixteen people who were there to receive government aid were also injured.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday named Congressman Arnolfo Teves Jnr, Degamo’s political opponent, as one of the masterminds of the murder. However, he has yet to be indicted.

Remulla also said he would look into at least 17 possible cases of political murders in the central Philippine province of Negros Oriental, where Degamo was governor, after his widow Janice accused Teves Jnr of at least 30 previous killings in the province.

While the death of Degamo sparked a public outcry for justice, such political assassinations were “nothing new”, said Ramon Casiple, co-founder of political risk analyst firm Novo Trends PH.

“This happened in Ampatuan, this happened in the past,” he said, referring to the 2009 massacre in the southern Philippine town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, when 58 victims on their way to file a certificate of candidacy on behalf of a politician challenging the Ampatuan clan were kidnapped and later killed.

It took 10 years for a Philippine court to sentence two senior members of the Ampatuan clan to life terms without parole, and 43 others including police officers to up to 40 years in jail.